Coordination of Payment of Patient Healthcare in Developing Countries by Family Members Living Abroad

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer program products for the coordination of payment of medical goods and/or services of patients in developing countries by relatives of those individuals living abroad, such as in the diaspora of particular cultures or nationalities.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/831,984 filed Jun. 6, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods, systems, and computer programproducts for making medical payments for others. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to the coordination of payment of healthcareof patients in developing countries by the patients' family membersliving abroad.

2. The Relevant Technology

Millions of Children and adults in the third world die every year fromdiseases readily treated by essential drugs. Mr. Kofi Annan, former UNSecretary General, estimates that one-third of the world's populationlacks regular access to essential drugs and that the figure rises toover 50% in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. This leads to a muchhigher mortality rate in those countries, especially for children. InGhana, for example, an average of one child in every ten dies before theage of five compared to one in every 150 in the UK. This is a result ofpoor healthcare provision in most developing countries. The average percapita amount spent in Switzerland on health services is over $6,000 peryear compared to an average of less than $40 in West Africa. The yearlyper capita average for Ghana is $66, for Niger is $19, for Haiti is $44,and for Liberia is $29. In contrast, the U.S. spends nearly $8,000 percapita per year. Because of the significantly lower spending, thepoorest countries carry the greatest burden of ill health. The impact isparticularly profound with devastating contagious widespread diseases,such as HIV infection.

For most developing countries total government spending on healthcare isminimal. Healthcare cost is supplemented by foreign aid and immigrantremittances to their home countries. In 2007 contribution from externalsources was a little less than 25% of total health expenditure; withmost developing countries struggling economically, it means most peopledon't have access to healthcare.

More than 3% of the world's population lives outside their countries ofbirth. Remittances, the money sent home by immigrants, provide animportant lifeline for poor households. According to the World Bank, 11billion dollars was remitted worldwide in 2001. In 2011, remittances todeveloping countries were estimated at $372 billion. Of this amount,about 65 percent went to developing countries, with half of that moneygoing to countries considered to be lower-middle income countries.' Ofthis amount about 50% is intended to be used for healthcare andprescription medications. But for most families, the money istransferred through third party individuals. Because of this, some orall of the money is often not received by the intended recipient or isused for other things than what it was intended. As a result individualsin most developing countries of the world, especially those in Africa,do not receive the medications they need, often relying instead on localunorthodox medical practices, counterfeit medicine, and unregulatedconcoctions, which further adds to medical complications and poor health(morbidity and mortality).

Furthermore, due to the financial loss through third parties, those whopurchase medication often do not purchase enough to complete therational course of the treatment (e.g., a full course of antibioticstreatment), rendering the drug ineffective at treating the targetedillness; a prognosis that leads to increased poor health and thedevelopment of superbugs that become resistant to the antibiotics.

The cost of transferring money in itself also represents a significantloss to immigrants and their families. The Inter-American Developmentbank estimates that the total cost of sending remittances to LatinAmerica and the Caribbean reached $4 billion in 2002, or about 12.5percent of the remittance to that region. It is estimated that the totalcost of the average money transfer ranges between 15 and 20 percent.This is a huge loss to what could go towards the cost of healthcare.

A 2012 report generated by the World Health Organization (WHO)recommends three approaches to making healthcare service affordable andaccessible:

-   -   1. Make health a higher priority in existing spending,        particularly in a government's budget;    -   2. Find new or diversified sources of domestic funding; and    -   3. Increase external financial support.

For all countries, steps 1 and 2 are very important. But for strugglingdeveloping countries, step 3 cannot be denied. Embodiments of thepresent invention provide a platform to facilitate step 3 while solvingmany of the above problems by bringing the patient, the payee and theprovider together to coordinate medical care and corresponding payments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed withreference to the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. In the drawings,like numerals designate like elements. Furthermore, multiple instancesof an element may each include separate letters appended to the elementnumber. For example two instances of a particular element “20” may belabeled as “20 a” and “20 b”. In that case, the element label may beused without an appended letter (e.g., “20”) to generally refer to everyinstance of the element; while the element label will include anappended letter (e.g., “20 a”) to refer to a specific instance of theelement.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting the main user groups of a systemincorporating features of the present invention according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a network system according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a data flow diagram of a system according to one embodiment;and

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrates methods of i) registering a supporting familyand corresponding patients, ii) registering a healthcare provider, andiii) coordinating payment from abroad of healthcare services provided bythe healthcare provider to the patient, according to one embodiment;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless contextdictates otherwise. The embodiments described in the detaileddescription, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Otherembodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presentedherein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the presentdisclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in thefigures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designedin a wide variety of different configurations, all of which areexplicitly contemplated herein. It will also be understood that anyreference to a first, second, etc. element in the claims or in thedetailed description is not meant to imply numerical sequence, but ismeant to distinguish one element from another unless explicitly notedotherwise.

In addition, as used in the specification and appended claims,directional terms, such as “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” “upper,”“lower,” “proximal,” “distal,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” and the likeare used herein solely to indicate relative directions and are nototherwise intended to limit the scope of the invention or claims.

The present application relates to methods, systems, and computerprogram products for the coordination of payment of medical goods and/orservices of individuals in developing countries by relatives of thoseindividuals living abroad, such as in the diaspora of particularcultures or nationalities. Embodiments of the present invention mitigateor solve many of the problems endemic in existing approaches.

As discussed above, millions of Children and adults in the third worlddie every year from diseases readily treated by essential drugs. Mr.Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, estimates that one-third of theworld's population lacks regular access to essential drugs and that thefigure rises to over 50% in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. Thisleads to a much higher mortality rate in those countries, especially forchildren. In Ghana, for example, an average of one child in every tendies before the age of five compared to one in every 150 in the UK. Thisis a result of poor healthcare provision in most developing countries.The average per capita amount spent in Switzerland on health services isover $6,000 per year compared to an average of less than $40 in WestAfrica. The yearly per capita average for Ghana is $66, for Niger is$19, for Haiti is $44, and for Liberia is $29. In contrast, the U.S.spends nearly $8,000 per capita per year. Because of the significantlylower spending, the poorest countries carry the greatest burden of illhealth. The impact is particularly profound with devastating contagiouswidespread diseases, such as HIV infection.

For most developing countries total government spending on healthcare isminimal. Healthcare cost is supplemented by foreign aid and immigrantremittances to their home countries. In 2007 contribution from externalsources was a little less than 25% of total health expenditure; withmost developing countries struggling economically, it means most peopledon't have access to healthcare.

According to the World Bank, 11 billion dollars was remitted worldwidein 2001. In 2011, remittances to developing countries were estimated at$372 billion. Of this amount, about 65 percent went to developingcountries, with half of that money going to countries considered to belower-middle income countries.' Of this amount about 50% is intended tobe used for healthcare and prescription medications. But for mostfamilies, the money is transferred through third party individuals.Because of this, some or all of the money is often not received by theintended recipient or is used for other things than what it wasintended. As a result individuals in most developing countries of theworld, especially those in Africa, do not receive the medications theyneed, often relying instead on local unorthodox medical practices,counterfeit medicine, and unregulated concoctions, which further adds tomedical complications and poor health (morbidity and mortality).

Furthermore, due to the financial loss through third parties, those whopurchase medication often do not purchase enough to complete therational course of the treatment (e.g., a full course of antibioticstreatment), rendering the drug ineffective at treating the targetedillness; a prognosis that leads to increased poor health and thedevelopment of superbugs that become resistant to the antibiotics.

The cost of transferring money in itself also represents a significantloss to immigrants and their families. The Inter-American Developmentbank estimates that the total cost of sending remittances to LatinAmerica and the Caribbean reached $4 billion in 2002, or about 12.5percent of the remittance to that region. It is estimated that the totalcost of the average money transfer ranges between 15 and 20 percent.This is a huge loss to what could go towards the cost of healthcare.

A 2012 report generated by the World Health Organization (WHO)recommends three approaches to making healthcare service affordable andaccessible:

-   -   4. Make health a higher priority in existing spending,        particularly in a government's budget;    -   5. Find new or diversified sources of domestic funding; and    -   6. Increase external financial support.

For all countries, steps 1 and 2 are very important. But for strugglingdeveloping countries, step 3 cannot be denied. Embodiments of thepresent invention provide a platform to facilitate step 3 while solvingmany of the above problems by bringing the patient, the payee and theprovider together to coordinate medical care and corresponding payments.

Embodiments of the present invention mitigate or solve many of the aboveproblems. For example, embodiments of the present invention increasehealthcare availability and affordability by using modern technology toconnect immigrant families abroad direct to the healthcare providersbeing used by the families' relatives in the developing countries. Thisprovides many benefits, such as avoiding delays in healthcareremittances, eliminating transfer charges, and ensuring immigranthealthcare support goes directly to cover healthcare cost and the rightmedication administered to promote rational use of medicine.

In one embodiment, to coordinate the payment from abroad of healthcarereceived in a developing country, a novel software application named‘eMedipay’ is made available on the internet. eMedipay is an internetbased payment system specially designed to make it easier for those inthe International Community (Diaspora) to contribute towards thehealthcare cost of families and loved ones. eMedipay can be used tonetwork healthcare providers in developing countries. eMedipay can alsoserve as an interface between the healthcare providers and the payees,for example between families and friends in the International Community(Diaspora) and the healthcare provider in the developing country.Payment can be made by the payee using the internet.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram 100 depicting the main user groups ineMedipay. As shown, a family abroad 102 in the Diaspora can connect witha healthcare provider 104 of a relative or loved one back home in thedeveloping country to coordinate healthcare payments directly to thehealthcare provider 104 or to the provider's financial institution 106via the internet 108. By way of example and not limitation, healthcareproviders can include: clinics, pharmacies, dentists, medical labs,vision professionals, group homes and hospitals.

The eMedipay structure represents the first global solution for peoplein the international community to facilitate access to healthcare bylinking dependents to specific healthcare providers. It presents a newlevel of innovation in using e-commerce to bring the payee, the patientand the healthcare provider to the same platform to effect payment; thuspromoting global healthcare, connecting families worldwide, promotinghealthcare availability and promoting healthcare affordability.

Specific benefits realized by families that use eMedipay can include:

-   -   Online transactions ensure that funds sent for the purposes of        healthcare are used for those purposes. eMedipay can ensure        online payment that goes directly to the financial institution        used by the healthcare provider. This provides great        traceability and militates against money laundering.    -   Online transactions are generally instantaneous and require no        middleman. This can save families the 15-20% transfer cost        generally charged by third-party payment services.    -   eMedipay facilitates patients care. In some countries where the        so called ‘cash & carry’ is the order of the day, assurance of        payment through eMedipay ensures that patients get treated        immediately.    -   Because networked healthcare providers know that they will be        paid quickly, providers are willing to provide special discounts        to patients using eMedipay.    -   Families in the International Community (Diaspora) are assured        that healthcare costs do not become a barrier to the survival of        their loved ones.

In one embodiment, a Payment Protection Plan (PPP) can be used wherefamilies are preregistered to cover health care cost for designatedfamily members. As a result of PPP, a healthcare provider can beguaranteed payment. As such, the healthcare provider is willing to treatthe designated family members even before payment is made.

Specific benefits realized by healthcare providers that use eMedipay caninclude:

-   -   eMedipay offers healthcare providers (doctors, pharmacists,        dentists, eye specialists, clinical laboratories, etc.) a        platform to receive much needed cash to run their businesses and        provide optimum care for patients.    -   eMedipay gives healthcare providers peace of mind; because        eMedipay is an on-line application, no paper work is involved        and no one needs to chase after unpaid bills.    -   eMedipay can deposits funds directly into the financial account        of the healthcare provider.    -   eMedipay facilitates collection of accounts payable, thus,        improving business cash flow of the healthcare provider.    -   eMedipay can increase global recognition of a healthcare        provider by advertising the provider's business on the Internet.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of a network system 200 that can incorporateelements of the present invention. Network system 200 is exemplary onlyand does not show every element envisioned in every system. One skilledin the art will appreciate that network system 200 can be modified andoptimized based on the individual needs of the particular users. Networksystem 200 can include one or more client machines 202 a-d (generallyreferred to herein as client machine(s) 202 or client(s) 202) incommunication with one or more server machines 204 a-b (generallyreferred to herein as server machine(s) 204 or server(s) 204) over anetwork 206. The client machine(s) 202 can, in some embodiments, bereferred to as a single client machine 202 or a single group of clientmachines 202, while the server machine(s) 204 may be referred to as asingle server 204 or a single group of servers 204. Although four clientmachines 202 and two server machines 204 are depicted in FIG. 1, anynumber of clients 202 may be in communication with any number of servers204. In addition, although a single network 206 is shown connectingclient machines 202 to server machines 204, it should be understood thatmultiple, separate networks may connect a subset of client machines 202to a subset of server machines 204. If desired, client machine 202 andserver machine 204 can be combined into one physical machine.

Embodiments of the present invention, including client machines 202 andserver machines 204, may comprise or utilize a special purpose orgeneral-purpose computer including computer hardware, such as, forexample, one or more processors and system memory, as discussed ingreater detail below. Embodiments within the scope of the presentinvention also include physical and other computer-readable media forcarrying or storing computer-executable instructions and/or datastructures. Such computer-readable media can be any available media thatcan be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system.Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions arecomputer storage media (devices). Computer-readable media that carrycomputer-executable instructions are transmission media. Thus, by way ofexample, and not limitation, embodiments of the invention can compriseat least two different types of computer-readable media: computerstorage media and transmission media.

Computer storage media includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, solid statedrives (“SSDs”) (e.g., based on RAM), flash memory, phase-change memory(“PCM”), other types of memory, other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

A “network” is defined as one or more data links that enable thetransport of electronic data between computer systems and/or modulesand/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred orprovided over a network or another communications connection (eitherhardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired and wireless) to acomputer, the computer properly views the connection as a transmissionmedium. Transmission media can include network and/or data links whichcan be used to carry desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Combinationsof the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

Further, upon reaching various computer system components, program codemeans in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structurescan be transferred automatically from transmission media to computerstorage media (or vice versa). For example, computer-executableinstructions or data structures received over a network or data link canbe buffered in RAM within a network interface module (e.g., a networkinterface controller (NIC)), and then eventually transferred to computersystem RAM and/or to less volatile computer storage media at a computersystem. Thus, it should be understood that computer storage media can beincluded in computer system components that also (or even primarily)utilize transmission media.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function orgroup of functions. The computer executable instructions may be, forexample, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assemblylanguage, or even source code. Although the subject matter has beendescribed in language specific to structural features and/ormethodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matterdefined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to thedescribed features or acts described above. Rather, the describedfeatures and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing theclaims.

By way of example, and not limitation, common network environments 206that can be used with the present invention include Local Area Networks(“LANs”), Wide Area Networks (“WANs”), and the Internet. Accordingly,each of the computer systems as well as any other connected computersystems and their components, can create message related data andexchange message related data as needed (e.g., Internet Protocol (“IP”)datagrams and other higher layer protocols that utilize IP datagrams,such as, Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”), Hypertext TransferProtocol (“HTTP”), User Datagram Protocol (“UDP”), etc.) over thenetwork 206.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in network computing environments with many types of computersystem configurations. By way of example and not limitation, clientmachines 202 and server machines 204 can include: personal computers,desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-helddevices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,portable tablet devices, mobile telephones, PDAs, video game consoles,portable media players, and the like. The invention may also bepracticed in distributed system environments where local and remotecomputer systems, which are linked (either by hardwired data links,wireless data links, or by a combination of hardwired and wireless datalinks) through a network, both perform tasks. In a distributed systemenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices. Program modules for one entity can be locatedand/or run in another entity's data center or “in the cloud.”

An operating environment for the devices of system 200 may comprise orutilize a processing system having one or more microprocessors andsystem memory. In accordance with the practices of persons skilled inthe art of computer programming, embodiments of the present inventionare described below with reference to acts and symbolic representationsof operations or instructions that are, at least in part, performed bythe processing system. Such acts and operations or instructions may bereferred to as being “computer-executed,” “CPU-executed,” or“processor-executed.”

Each client machine 202 can correspond to a healthcare provider in adeveloping country, a financial institution of one of those healthcareproviders, or a family member, living abroad, supporting a patient ofone of those healthcare providers. The location of each of the clientmachines 202 will therefore depend on the respective user. However, dueto the global reach of many networks, in particular the Internet, all ofthose client machines may be able to communicate with one another. Othercorrespondences are also possible.

FIG. 3 depicts a data flow diagram of system 100 according to oneembodiment. As shown, eMedipay uses a central database 300 to storeinformation regarding the different user groups of the system. Thecentral database 300 can be a single database or multiple databases thatare linked together. Furthermore, the single or multiple databases canbe positioned in one location or can be distributed among multiplelocations.

The central database 300 has stored therein information for eachhealthcare provider registered with the system, such as name, address,financial institution, etc. The central database includes informationfor each patient registered with the system, such as name, address, etc.The central database includes information for each family member orother entity abroad that has agreed to be responsible for payment ofhealthcare fees for a registered patient, such as name, address, creditcard information, financial information, etc. The database also includesinformation to link each family member to a particular registeredpatient. That way, when a registered patient incurs an expense with aregistered healthcare provider, the appropriate family member can becontacted for payment.

Using a pharmacy shop as an example, a patient can take a prescriptionto a pharmacy shop in a developing country, such as Ghana. The detailsof the prescription are entered (302) into the eMedipay system by thepharmacy shop and stored in the common database 300. An invoice isgenerated and a notice is electronically sent (304) to a family memberabroad who has been previously set up to be associated with the patient.The notice can be sent by text or email or any other method. The familymember can then log onto (306) the eMedipay system from abroad and viewthe invoice from the pharmacy shop stored in the database. The familymember can pay (308) all or part of the invoice using the eMedipaysystem via credit card, bank account, third-party funds, or any othertype of electronic funds transfer. The funds are transferred (310) tothe pharmacy shop or the financial institution used by the pharmacy shopand the parties involved are notified (312) of the payment and thedatabase is updated (314).

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate methods of i) registering a supporting family andcorresponding patients, ii) registering a healthcare provider, and iii)coordinating payment from abroad of healthcare services provided by thehealthcare provider to the patient, according to one embodiment. Thesteps performed by a supporting family member or a healthcare providercan be performed using client machines 202. Other steps can be performedby others with or without the use of client machines 202. In oneembodiment, the steps comprise one or more computer applications. In oneembodiment, method 400 is performed using the internet.

Steps 402-408 correspond to a method of registering a supporting familyand corresponding patients according to one embodiment. For a supportingfamily member abroad to be responsible for payment of healthcare fundsfor a patient, the family member first registers with the system (step402). During registration, the family member may be required to enterany or all of the following: name, address, credit card information,financial information, etc. The information is stored in the eMedipaydatabase.

A verification message is sent to the family member confirming that thefamily member is registered (step 404). Verification can take the formof a text message, email, or any other form of communication. Theverification can include a unique login credential (e.g., username andpassword) for the family member.

The family member must also be linked to a patient to be able to beresponsible for that patient. In one embodiment, the family member canenter the patient information initially into the system (step 406). Thiscan include any or all of the following: patient's name, address, etc.The information is stored in the eMedipay database. In one embodiment,if the patient information is already in the system, the family membercan simply select the patient from a list or perform a search. Eitherway, the family member is then linked to the patient so as to beresponsible for payment of healthcare bills.

In one embodiment, the family member can register as many patients asthey would like and can select the providers that each patient can visit(step 408). The family member is then linked to each of the registeredpatients they have entered.

Steps 410-420 correspond to a method of registering a healthcareprovider according to one embodiment. Before a healthcare provider in adeveloping country can be visited or paid, the healthcare provider mustalso be registered in the system. To do this, the healthcare providerrequests to be registered (step 410).

A verification message is sent to the healthcare provider informing thehealthcare provider that the provider's credentials are being verified(step 412). Verification can take the form of a text message, email, orany other form of communication.

The healthcare provider's information and credentials are reviewed by alocal administrator in the developing country (step 414). The reviewedinformation and credentials of the provider can include the name andaddress of the provider, the type of service provided, the reputation ofthe provider, etc.

If the healthcare provider's information and credentials are found to besatisfactory by the local administrator, a master administrator reviewsthe information (step 416). If the healthcare provider's information andcredentials are found to be satisfactory by the master administrator,the healthcare provider is registered in the system, and a verificationmessage is sent to the healthcare provider confirming that thehealthcare provider is registered. Verification can take the form of atext message, email, or any other form of communication. Theverification can include a unique login credential (e.g., username andpassword) for the healthcare provider. The registration status of thehealthcare provider, as well as the provider's information andcredentials are stored in the eMedipay database.

If the healthcare provider's information and credentials are not foundto be satisfactory by either administrator, the healthcare provider isnot registered and a message is sent to the healthcare provider denyingregistration (step 418). The denied registration status of thehealthcare provider, as well as the provider's information andcredentials can be stored in the eMedipay database. In some embodiments,only one admin can review the information and credentials instead oftwo.

In one embodiment, a resident doctor of a healthcare provider facilitycan request other healthcare providers of the facility be registeredwith the system (step 420). The same steps as discussed above arefollowed to register the other healthcare providers.

Steps 422-426 correspond to a method of coordinating payment from abroadof healthcare goods and/or services provided by the healthcare providerto the patient according to one embodiment. Once a patient, acorresponding supporting family member, and a healthcare provider of thepatient are registered, the system can be used to coordinate paymentfrom abroad of healthcare services provided by the healthcare providerto the patient, as discussed above.

For example, the patient can visit the registered healthcare provider toreceive goods and/or services from the provider. The healthcare providercan log on to the system and generate an invoice corresponding to thegoods and/or services provided to the patient (step 422).

The system can automatically generate and electronically send a noticeof the invoice to the family member abroad who is linked to the patient(step 424). As discussed above, the notice can be via text message,email, or any other type of communication.

The family member can log on to the system to retrieve and authorize theinvoice to be paid (step 426), as discussed above. Payment is then madeto the healthcare provider.

In one embodiment, if an invoice is pending, the supporting familymember is directed to a payment page upon login to remind the familymember of the pending invoice (step 428).

Although discussion herein has been directed to coordinating healthcarepayments abroad, it is appreciated that other types of payments abroadcan be coordinated using the methods or variations thereof. For example,methods of the present invention can be used to coordinate payments toschools and university campuses abroad. That is, supporting families candirectly cover fees and expenses for loved ones attending school indeveloping countries. Most schools in the developing world do not havetheir own internet portal for supporting families to make direct paymentonline. The eMedipay structure can provide a virtual portal for theschools to facilitate payment by supporting families abroad. A cash backoption can also be included where the overage of payment made by thesupporting families goes to the beneficiary

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. Accordingly, thedescribed embodiments are to be considered in all respects only asillustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is,therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of coordinating payment of patienthealthcare in developing countries by family members living abroad, themethod comprising: registering a family member in the Diaspora and apatient in a developing country with a global database application;registering a healthcare provider in the developing country with theglobal database application; by the healthcare provider in thedeveloping country, providing a good or service to the patient; by thehealthcare provider in the developing country, generating an invoice forthe good or service using the global database application; automaticallynotifying, by the global database application, the family member in theDiaspora of the generated invoice; paying, by the family member in theDiaspora, the invoice of the patient.
 2. The method recited in claim 1,wherein registering the family member comprises: receiving, by theregistered family member, a request for verification; and responding, bythe registered family member, to the request for verification.
 3. Themethod recited in claim 1, wherein the patient is registered by theregistered family member.
 4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein thehealthcare provider is registered by a provider manager or residentdoctor.
 5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the healthcareprovider comprises one or more of: a clinic, a pharmacy, a dentist, amedical lab, a vision provider, a group home, and a hospital.
 6. Themethod recited in claim 1, wherein registering the healthcare providercomprises: verifying credentials of the healthcare provider by a localadministrator; providing, by a local administrator, an electronicsignature to a master administrator; and approving the registration bythe master administrator based on information received by the localadministrator.
 7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the healthcareprovider is chosen from a plurality of health care providers by thefamily member.